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Lam Patent No. 75,285, @zaad March 10, 1ste.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known that I, Monnls MA'rrsoN, ot' the city of New York, inthecounty of New York, and State oil New York, have invented a newandruseful Improvement in Instruments for Injccting the Nostrils, andwhich I call aNasa-l Irrigator; and Ido hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,fand of itsmode or manner of operation, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings and to the -ictters of reference marked thereon, and-making apart of this specification.

It has been for along time knownthat a stream of water may be made'topass into one nostril and out oi' the other, thereby rendering-itpossible to wash and clean the cavities of the nose; and it has alsobeen observed that such washing extended in some cases to the smallcavity known as the frontal sinns,`located between the eyebrows, andwhich becomes seriously affected in long-continued cases of catarrh,giving rise to distressing headaches, tc. y

This discovery has enabled medical men to remove foul matters from thenasal cavities, by applying saline eachother-.solutions of a deodorizingand Ihealing nature.

The instrument heretofore generally used for such purpose has been thatinventedby Dr. Thudicum, of London, which consists of a glass vessel,generally holding about a couple of pints, to the bottom of `which isattached a small rubber tube, two or three feet in length, with astop-cock at its terminal extremity, to which is fixed a perforatednozzle of gutta percha or prepared rubber. i The glass vessel beingfilled with the required uid, is placed some distance above the head ofthe individual to be operated on, and the nozzle is then inserted in thenostril, when the fluid by its own pressure forces itself into onenostril andout of the other. Great care is required to insure anadequate fitting of the nozzle to the nostril, since it' any duid isallowed to escape from the nostril, theoperation is ditlicult andtroublesome. In making use 'of this instrument, several sizes of noz`zles are requisite, in order` that the instrument may be adapted tonostrils of diierent' sizes. In this country the stop-cock is generallydispensed with, on account of the expense, and the'tube is compressed bythe thumb and ingers, to prevent the low of the fluid until required.Sometimes the tube is converted into a Siphon, andk the iiow of the iudthus regulated.

Instead ofthe nozzle described, there is sometimes inserted into theterminal extremity of the rubber tube a perforated tubev of glass,having av disk or collar of rubber about it, designed to pr-ess upon theexternal portion of the nostril, but generally a nozzle is usedinsteadof such attened disk. Such nozzle is usually made of soft rubber,and of a somewhat conical or cup-like form, to admit of easy insertioninto the nostril. Flat- 'tened plugs of wood, soft rubber, and othersubstances are also sometimes used.

Such instrument is objectionable, as'there must be kept on hand a numberof nozzles or nasal plugs of different sizes, so as to accurately andproperly close different nostrils,'and thereby incurring considerableexpense; and in making trials of different nozzles to obtain aproperly-fitting one, two or three, or more, frequently have to betried, none of which can properly be used again until they have beenthoroughly cleansed. The process thus involyes trouble, expense, andvexation. v

The frce of the stream of duid descending from a glass vessel, asdescribed, whether by the law of pressure, or by means of a Siphon, isalso not easily varied or controlled as required in different cases.Sometimes a very weak, gentle current can only be used, and'inothercases a forcible current is necessary to dislodge and force outincrusted matter, scales, Sto. Such instrument cannot therefore beadapted to the emergencies arising in medical practice.

vThe object of my invention is the production of an instrument whichshall do away with the objections above mentioned, and at the same timebe eiicient, portable, economical, and easily kept clean. This Iaccomplish by making use of but a single nasal plug, instead of having anumber* of plugs ,or nozzles of diierent kinds, and I am able todispense with the use ofthe elevated vessel to hold the fluid.

Figure l shows the entire apparatus or instrument.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the plug.

In endeavoring to do away with the necessity for plugsof variable sizes,I found, after many experiments, Ythat a single plug, when made in a.proper form, wouldaccurately close any nostril, large or small, andcould be satisfactorily use-d under different circumstances andcases.4 Ithus do away with the necessity for a number. ofplugs. I

The plug as devised by me, is shown at A, and is in formvcry nearly likethe sharp half oi" an egg, or 'the half of an ellipse,l with a circularbase, cz, and hasa'small aperture, 1, at the point, for the esca-ppJ 0.5me pimp vSuch lplug is generallyfroni an inch to an inch' and an eighthlong, and has a base about three-fourths of an finch, but with such abase, the length ofthe plug may bel somewhat shortened,^and yetaccomplish the purposes desired. These particular proportions are notabsolutely essential, but indicate a plug which I have found, freueactual practice, satisfactory and operative. l

The gradual enlargement ofthe plug from its point towards its base,causes it to be readily adaptable to Dostrils of different sizes, andsuch plug is found to close any nostril with all the accuracy andperfection required, without being projected into the` nostril unduly,se as to prove inconvenient or uncomfortable.

The plug may be inadevof hard rubber, metal, wood', or any materialhaving suilicient firmness, and is made hollow, so as to lee-rendered aslight and convenicnts possible, and to facilitate cleansing. No greater`thickness is required than such as is sufiicient to give its sidesrequired stiffness. The opposite sides of such plug may be reducedalittle, or the plug somewhat flattened, without essentially impairingits efficiency. Such plug scrcws'at its base on to its sont, or to therod 6, so as to be readily detachable therefrom. Such constructionrenders it convenient to clean the plug both insideeand out, Whereassoft rubber plugs or nozzles are didicnlt to be kept clean.

Such hard tapering plug may be used iniconnection with a rubber tube,and an elevated vessel of water or fluid, as before described, 'but Ihave found it most convenient and efficient whenI connected with anelastic syringe, B, either with or without valvular arrangement, thelatteris always preferred, as thereby the operator is enabled to injectmuch or little duid, as he may desire. The elastic bulb B muy b'ecompressed slightly or forcibly, as the nature ofthe case may require,and thus thereis no diiculty in obtain-ing eithera gentle current, orone suiiicient for the expulsion of'hardened or encrusted matter fromthe nostril. Such syringe is provided, like ordinary syringes, witha'suitable inlet-tube, C, and discharge-tube D, which may be of anylength desired.

If desired for any reason, or by any practitioner, to use a Siphon inconnection with such nasal plug, a siphon can be quickly made byinserting the inlet-tube C in any vessel of Water, and placing suolivessel alittle above the head of the patient, and the siphon actioncanbe obtained by a compression ofthe elastic bulb B.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,i'sy 1. The nasal plug A, so shaped as to fit and close nostrils ofdifferent sizes, constructed substantially as described.

2. The combination of the nasal 'plug A, constructed substantially asdescribed, with the syringe B C D, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

MORRIS MATTSON.

Witnesses:

S. D. LAW, Fano. B.- SEAns. i

